Network devices (such as routers) are often used to facilitate the flow of traffic within computer networks. For example, a service provider may have various multi-tenant routers that send and/or receive network traffic in connection with various customers. In one example, the service provider may have a multi-tenant router that services network traffic on behalf of a first customer and a second customer. Unfortunately, the service provider may be responsible for and/or in charge of making certain changes to the configuration of this multi-tenant router to accommodate the individual needs of the customers.
Accordingly, as the number of customers increases, so too does the number of configuration changes that are made to the service provider's routers. These configuration changes may necessitate and/or call for additional resources from the service provider. For example, the service provider may employ various network administrators that are responsible for and/or in charge of manually entering configuration changes into the service provider's routers at the customers' request. In this example, the service provider may have to increase its workforce to keep up with customer demand for configuration changes.
Moreover, conventional multi-tenant routers may be unable to support configuration changes that are made by the customers themselves without introducing certain security risks and/or vulnerabilities into the service provider's network. For example, a conventional multi-tenant router may have certain access-control parameters and/or permissions that are too coarse for delegation to the service provider's network. In the event that the service provider delegates control over the configuration of the conventional multi-tenant router to a customer, that customer may be able to modify (whether intentionally or accidentally) the network characteristics of another customer's traffic. As a result, such conventional delegation may introduce some significant security and/or privacy concerns.
The instant disclosure, therefore, identifies and addresses a need for improved and/or additional methods, systems, and apparatuses for delegating control over the configuration of multi-tenant network devices such that customers of service providers are able to directly modify the configuration with increased agility and/or quicker turnaround times.